Respondents: 45 (This poll is closed)
The fact that there’s more than one legitimate pronunciation does mean that people will pronounce it differently, but it probably won’t be as annoying as you think. I live in a very multicultural area and a lot of people have ethnic names unfamiliar to English speakers, and people might get it wrong at first, but once they know them their name isn’t any more difficult than a common one. Most people I know with names that are often mispronounced and/or misspelled are used to it and aren’t bothered by it. Some whose names are often mispronounced will actually just go with it rather than correct people who don’t say it exactly the same way they do, as long as they know that they’re the one being referred to I guess!
However, if you struggle with the thought that people will call her “aw-REEL-ya” sometimes, I’d suggest you choose a different name. [name_f]Aurora[/name_f] and [name_f]Araminta[/name_f] have similar sounds and the same elegant, feminine feel to me.
For the record, I love [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] and would love to meet one 
I pronounce it “aw-REEL-ee-ah/aw-REEL-ee-uh”.
Same here. I think it’s gorgeous anyhow, and like the nicknames [name_u]Ray[/name_u] & [name_f]Rhea[/name_f].
One thing to consider is that the majority of the time you’d be introducing your daughter VERBALLY. If the people you’re talking to are taking any notice, they should copy your pronunciation. If they know there’s alternate pronunciations, they should theoretically pay particular attention to how YOU pronounce it. If they only saw it written down, then yes, maybe you’d have a few ([name_f]IMO[/name_f] minor) issues, but in reality I think that happens less than you’d expect.
And you can always bite the bullet by saying firmly, “[name_f]Aurelia[/name_f], pronounced aw-[name_u]RAY[/name_u]-lee-uh/Aw-[name_u]RAY[/name_u]-lee-uh, NOT aw-[name_f]REE[/name_f]-lee-ah”. There’s nothing stopping you from including the pronunciation in whatever birth announcement you may use either.
My thoughts exactly. I say (and only like) Aw-[name_u]RAY[/name_u]-lee-uh, like you, but differences in pronunciation might only become a problem on paper, and it’s definitely not worth ditching such a beautiful name for that.
My name is [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] and I also come from a multicultural family and background. I was born in [name_f]Italy[/name_f] to Italian parents and we moved to [name_f]Canada[/name_f] when I was six years old. As an adult, through work, I have traveled quite a bit and so have had my name pronounced right or not-so right in different places.
In Italian my name is something like ow-RELL-yah, listening to the audio on Forvo will be a lot easier for you all to understand it than me trying to spell it out.
I honestly grew used to being called AW-reel-ee-ah, which is what I mostly get in English and in English-speaking settings that is how I present myself. In places like [name_f]Italy[/name_f] or Mexico (or Romania, I imagine), it’s a lot easier for my name to be pronounced but because of how Latin languages pronounced their vowels and consonants.
I suggest you get used to your daughter’s name being a “cultural chameleon”, it’s actually quite nice and how I came to be called [name_u]Ari[/name_u] or [name_f]Aurie[/name_f] by my friends (my family never called me nicknames related to my name).
I hope I was able to help.
[name_f]Aurelia[/name_f] is beautiful and worth you using!
Thanks for the replies and votes everyone! It was very helpful. Also feel free to keep commenting on this, I’ll check back periodically :).
I love this name as well. It’s in our top two. I would pronounce it the same as you and also love the [name_u]Ray[/name_u] sound being related to a ray of sunshine or I also think of stingrays or manta rays, some of my favorite sea creatures. I particularly like the nickname Rayli. While I have the same concerns as you, I don’t think it would prevent me from using the name. My husband and I are both SCUBA divers and for us, it has the added meaning that it is the genus name of the [name_f]Moon[/name_f] Jellyfish. While this may be a negative connotation for some, I love the link to the ocean and we often see [name_f]Moon[/name_f] jellyfish when diving. They are beautiful and captivating to watch as they glide through the water.
I really like [name_f]Aurelia[/name_f]. And it seems like you love it, too. Sometimes, you might have to correct people with the pronunciation, but it will be occasionally and if you really love the name, that shouldn’t stop you from using it.